Derby Talk

Derby Talk is a forum for Pinewood Derby, Awana Grand Prix, Kub Kar Rally, Shape N Race Derby, Space Derby, Raingutter Regatta and other similar races where a child and an adult work together to create a race vehicle and a lot of fun and memories

I was amazed the BSA endorsed a movie that showed men breaking into a house to steal a PWD car!!! And Big Jimmies wife!! WHOA!!!! And what's with all this obsession with little wooden cars?? I don't get that!

I was disappointed after seeing it in the theater (we were the only ones in the theater). But it was better the second time at home.

We showed it at a Pack meeting and many of the parents mentioned the same points I made above. This isn't suitable for younger children (at least by Cub Scout values). But it did hold their attention for the whole movie.

"I'm really hoping he gets into this, because I plan to team up with him in the Pinewood Derby like my father did. We're not going to join the Cub Scouts or anything -- I'm hoping to get him some kind of home town exemption like the Cutters got fir the Little 500 in "Breaking Away."

I find this to be a failure of Scouting & parenting. This guy wants to take from Scouting only what interests HIM with no consideration for the BSA institution or the benefits his son might gain if Dad was only willing to put some effort into parenting.

Leadership should always be certain that Cub Scout families have a clear understanding on the purpose & methods & Twelve Core Values of Scouting long before a Pinewood Derby is thrust upon them.

Stephen's Dad wrote:I find this to be a failure of Scouting & parenting. This guy wants to take from Scouting only what interests HIM with no consideration for the BSA institution or the benefits his son might gain if Dad was only willing to put some effort into parenting.

Leadership should always be certain that Cub Scout families have a clear understanding on the purpose & methods & Twelve Core Values of Scouting long before a Pinewood Derby is thrust upon them.

I know I'm probably a little peculiar in this, but the workshops I hold are really more of a seminar than a workshop (i.e. presentation with no tools in use), and are really geared to the parents (boys are not included unless mom / dad can't come up with other child care arrangements, then they can bring the boys along but the boys are expected to occupy themselves and not disrupt the discussion). Most of the parents in our Pack have no problem with getting access to tools, but start out at point zero with respect to both the hows and whys of the PWD techniques as well as PWD purpose.

At the top of the workshop handout cover page I have the following quote from Don Murphy:

"I wanted to devise a wholesome, constructive activity that would foster a closer father-son relationship and promote craftsmanship and good sportsmanship through competition.“

I spend a few moments at the beginning on the "whole point", and tie in the above quote to the 10 purposes of Cub Scouting, which I list at the bottom of the workshop handout cover page:

I then try to keep refering back to the purpose as various questions arise and at other appropriate points in the presentation.

I have to admit that early in my boys Scouting experience I somewhat resembled the "take only what interests HIM" dad you described above. Having hung around long enough and read through different Scouting leadership materials, I fairly quickly "smartened up" and realized there is a lot more Scouting offers and instills than just "activities". As Committee Chairman, PWD Chairman, etc. (you know how many hats the typical Scouter wears ), one of the objectives I have is to take every opportunity available to refer back to, and explain further, the Values and Purposes of Cub Scouting in order to help others avoid the shallow view of Scouting that I initially held.

Bubba

p.s. I do have an open offer to the parents to bring their boys over to our PWD playhouse, if needed, to use any tools for which they cannot obtain access. But, as mentioned above, access to tools doesn't seem to be a real issue for them.

Pinewood Daddy wrote:I was amazed the BSA endorsed a movie that showed men breaking into a house to steal a PWD car!!! And Big Jimmies wife!! WHOA!!!! And what's with all this obsession with little wooden cars?? I don't get that!

I was disappointed after seeing it in the theater (we were the only ones in the theater). But it was better the second time at home.

We showed it at a Pack meeting and many of the parents mentioned the same points I made above. This isn't suitable for younger children (at least by Cub Scout values). But it did hold their attention for the whole movie.

I could certainly have done without some of the "adult stuff" a la Big Jimmie's wife & ATM Pin Number, the shower, etc., although most of it went over my kids heads.

That being said, the other "no no"s (breaking and entering, repeated lying, cheating at the Finals, Phil's inconsideration for his wife) were all picked up on by my little ones as "no no"s and good examples of what we shouldn't do when it comes to PWD or in general. As a parody or object lesson in how not to act, it was pretty good.

One concern I had when my kids first saw it was that they would "bust me" about resembling one of the adults. I was relieved when my Scout boys told me they were glad that I didn't "take over" their cars like the grown ups on the show did. If I do start to edge in that direction, they will tell me "careful Dad, you're starting to go Phil on us" LOL

Go Bubba Go wrote:I do have an open offer to the parents to bring their boys over to our PWD playhouse, if needed, to use any tools for which they cannot obtain access.

My workshops are more like a PWD playhouse for the fathers who don't have the tools or don't want to take the time to setup the tools. I can't force them to have their kids do the work. In the limited amount of time, unless they're building a basic wedge, there's no way a kid could accomplish everything.